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subject: Learn Ninjutsu - Understanding The Real Power And Purpose Hidden Within The Ninja's Kihon Happo [print this page]


Learn Ninjutsu - Understanding The Real Power And Purpose Hidden Within The Ninja's Kihon Happo

One of the most commonly known, and yet misunderstood set of techniques within modern Ninja training is known as the Kihon Happo. These basic techniques are introduced to new students who are looking to learn ninjutsu, very early in their training.

This article will give you a deeper understanding of this so-called set of "basic" techniques, and allow you to see through the forms to the true lessons waiting for you. But, to begin your understanding, you must first know what I'm talking about.

The concept of the Kihon Happo is said to have originated in the Gyokko-Ryu ("Jewel (or Jade) Tiger School"), one of the 9 historical combat lineages that make up the Bujinkan Dojo of current generation grandmaster, Masaaki Hatsumi. However, what is collectively known as the kihon happo is really a combining of 2 important sets of techniques which teach:

1) The effective use of the Ninja's kamae (body-mind-spirit postures) for controlling an attack, and...
Learn Ninjutsu - Understanding The Real Power And Purpose Hidden Within The Ninja's Kihon Happo


2) Effective use of body dynamics and strategies for escaping from grabbing attacks

Together, both sets convey the foundational techniques and skills that will show up again and again, regardless of the technique or kata being used in future training.

And this leads to knowing just what these "secrets", strategies, and "basics" are, that a student is supposed to be learning.

One of the questions that I ask my intermediate and advanced students who have learned these models is:

"What are these techniques teaching us?"

And, while it is very easy to just describe the step-by-step actions being performed - there is so much more that you cannot see if you're only looking at the form of the technique. Because, if you're only focusing on say, Ichimonji no kata, from the perspective of...

Step 1 - Receive his punch

Step 2 - Strike his neck (etc.) with an omote-shuto (palm-up sword-hand fist)

Then you are either a brand new beginner to the art, and this is exactly what you should be focusing on. Or...

You are still stuck in "beginner mindset" - what I call "white belt thinking" - and missing the point of the models.

The real power hidden within the models of the kihon happo is not in "what" you are doing, but in:

WHY you are doing it

WHEN you are doing it

WHERE you are positioning your body, limbs, and targets relative to your opponent, and...

HOW you are delivering your strikes

The kihon happo is said to be about "creation." But, unless you know what you're "creating," it doesn't help much to know that. And, while I talk about this concept in other articles, and it's covered quite extensively in my Advanced Sanshin & Kihon Happo Home Study Course, the thing to know about this concept is that it transcends the physical aspects of the technique models themselves.

It has to!

Because the point of kihon happo training is to create variation after variation of each technique - 8 variations, and then eight variations of each variation, and then 8 of each of these, into infinity - until the base models become just variations among variations.

And yet, through all of this, the concepts and principles - the very foundation of the kata models and the invisible lessons that you need to learn to see - never change!

by: Jeffrey Miller




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